Pitch Perfect: Deciding on a Studio Location

As a group we had to decide where we want to be based, whether this be in the UK or abroad. We were all happy to stick to the UK - though we briefly discussed Ireland as there's a tax break there at the moment - but we thought it would be best to research studio spaces that were available to us and for what price before we decided on a location.

We discussed different cities we'd be happy working/living in, such as London and Manchester, and looked on websites such as Gumtree and various property websites for potential studios in these areas. We found that a lot of the studios were very expensive and the cheaper, more affordable places weren't suitable for us. We were hoping to find a studio that was reasonably sized that would have space for desks and all of our equipment, but a lot of what we found were open plan office/desk space rather than studios, or they were just too small for four of us to work in.

Few Examples of Websites Looked at / Search Results

In the end we decided on Duke Studios in Leeds. We found that the prices were reasonable for everything they were offering with their 12 month contract, studio space. We emailed them asking for an estimated price for a 4 people studio and they replied with (-), which would definitely be ideal, especially as we like the look of the space.

Studio Spaces Available at Duke - Email from Duke Studios

We also thought that the location was ideal, as Animation in Leeds is beginning to grow. Not only this but it is easy to travel to and from, so we could easily attend festivals in nearby cities such as Manchester so we can network.